26 April 2010

Air Force Reverses Decision, Discharges Lesbian Lt. Chaurasiya

Another day, another gay or lesbian servicemember is discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Reversing an earlier decision, the United States Air Force will separate lesbian Lt. Robin R. Chaurasiya who was allowed to remain in uniform despite declaring her sexuality. In February, an Air Force general ruled Chaurasiya should not be discharged because she declared her sexual to avoiding military service.

Chaurasiya left active duty in 2007 after serving one year. She was
recalled to active duty in 2009 because of Iraq and Afghanistan. That's when she was outed, reports the Los Angeles Times.

"Chaurasiya's case began in July after a male former officer
she once dated had provided her commanding officer with evidence that
she was a lesbian. The Air Force dismissed that complaint. But
afterward, Chaurasiya, feeling slighted, decided to declare that she was
a lesbian. In December, she and her partner were joined in a civil
union in New Hampshire. A subsequent Air Force investigation
found credible evidence she was a lesbian, but determined she had
declared her sexual orientation in an attempt to get out of military
service. The general in charge refused to remove her. The Air
Force on Monday suggested the decision to discharge her resulted from
new evidence. Chaurasiya said her partner was interviewed to determine
if their civil union was real. Chaurasiya said she does not
regret publicizing her situation. "Part of repealing the policy is
demonstrating how arbitrarily it is implemented," she said. "As long as
we are raising awareness about problems in the policy, it was worth it."

You may recall that earlier this year another lesbian Air Force officer, Sgt. Jene Newsome, was also forcibly outed by a third party.